Uncoupling mechanism.



W- McCONWAY, 1a. & W. J. REGAN.

UNCOUPLING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED rEa.2. 1911'.

Patented May15,19 17.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I "In: ca, nflmurum. vunmnrwv. n. c-

W. McCONWAY, In. & WL J. REGAN.

UNCOUPLING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FIILED FEB.2, I911- 1,226,094.Patented May 15, 1 11 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Iva-mum I Will UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM MoOON WAY, JR., AND WILLIAM J. REGAN, OF PITTSBURGH,PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO THE MGOONWAY & TORLEY COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH,PENNSYIr VAN IA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

UNCOUPLING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 2, 1917. Serial No. 148,132.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that we, WILLIAM MoCoN- WAY, Jr, and WILLIAM J. REGAN,citizens of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county ofAllegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Uncoupling Mechanism; and we do'hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art. to which itappertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to uncoupling mechanism by whichthe trainman mayactuate the locking device of a car coupler from a point at one side ofthe car. The principal object of the invention is to provide simple,strong, effective and easily assembled uncoupling mechanism which isespecially suited for cooperation with a coupler that is provided withknuckle locking devices designed to be actuated from above the couplerhead. Generally stated, this and other objects of the invention of lessimportance are attained, as will hereinafter appear, by combining withthe coupler locking mechanism a transversely extending rotatableuncoupling lever which is supported at its inner end by a member that isjournaled on abracket rigidly secured to the car framing at one side ofthe car coupler, and by interposing between such coupler lockingmechanism and the pivoted member by which the uncoupling rod issupported a curved arm or look engaging member which is pivotallyconnected to said supporting member and has slidable engagement with thelocking mechanism.

In the drawings, which illustrate the preferred form in which wecontemplate applying our invention,

Figure 1 is a plan View of an uncoupling mechanism embodying theinvention, illustrating its relation to the car coupler and the bodyof-the car.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the features of construction illustratedin Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail side elevation of the construction illustrated inFigs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view of the mechanism, taken on the line44,'Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of a portion of the mechanism partly inelevation and partly in vertical section on the line 5-5, Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a detail plan view of one of the elements of the mechanimn,and

Fig. 7 is a side elevation-of the bracket devlce by which the outer endof the uncoupling rod is supported.

In the drawings, 1 indicates a portion of the end sill of a car, and 2is a car coupler. The coupler is provided with locking mechanism 3performing the usual function of' normally preventing the knuckle 4 fromlocking mechanismof the coupler is prefer- 4 ably curved circularly, asat 9, and is provided at its inner end with a perforated sleeve 10 whichis journaled in a socket or recess 11 formed in the member 12 by whichthe inner end of the uncoupling rod 7 is supported. a I Y The upper andlower walls of the member 12 are provided with alined pivot openings 13through which and through the opening in the sleeve 10 the upturnedinner end 14 of the uncoupling lever 7 is adapted to pass. The curvedlock engaging member 6 is thereby pivotally secured to the member 12within the socket 11 thereof. The member 12 is rotatably mounted uponthe car body. To

. this end it is preferably provided with oppositely disposedhorizontally extending pintles 151 which are journaled in correspondingbearings 16 formed on a bracket 17 which may be rigidly secured to theend sill 1 by means of bolts 18. As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the bearings16 are open at the top and the pintles 15, therefore, merely rest insuch bearings. To prevent the member 12 from becoming disassociated fromits bearing bracket 17, portions 19 of the inner faces of the uprightarms of the bracket are curved concentric with the bearingsfor thepintles 15, and the member 12 is provided on opposite sides with lugs 20which, when the parts are in assembled relation, extend beneath and inclose proximity to the cor responding curved shoulders 19, thus preendthe member 12 is preferably provided with a shelf or bar 21 which formsa seat or support for the inner end of the rotatable uncoupling lever 7.The outer end of the uncouplinglever is preferably supported by means ofa rearwardly opening bracket 22 which is secured to the end sill 1 bybolts 23, a cotter 24 being preferably employed to prevent theuncoupling lever 7 escaping from the bracket.

To assemble the mechanism the member 12 is brought to an approximatelyhorizontal position so as to permit pintles 15 thereof to be positionedin their bearings 16. The member 12 is then rotated until its lugs 20stand beneath the curved shoulders 19 of the bracket 17. The curved arm9 of the member 6 is then passed through the opening 5 in the lifter 3of the coupler locking mechanism and the inner end or sleeve 10 of themember 6 is positioned in the socket 11 of the member 12. The uncouplinglever 7, whilebeing held longitudinally of the car, is lifted until itsupturned inner end 14 enters the corresponding alined pivot o-penings inthemembers 6 and 12. The uncoupling lever is then rotated horizontallyabout its upturned portion 14 as a pivot until its outer end is broughtinto assembled relation with the stationary supporting bracket 22, whenits inner end rests upon the supporting shelf 21 carried by the member12. When the opening in the bracket 22 has been closed by the cotter 24so as to prevent the escape of the uncoupling lever 7 therefrom, theparts of the uncoupling mechanism are so interlocked that they cannotbecome accidentally disconnected; but it will be noted that it is onlynecessary'to remove the single cotter 24 in order to permit the entiremechanism to be disassembled.

When the trainman grasps the handle 8 of the uncoupling lever and movesit forwardly and upwardly in the usual manner the member 12 rotates onits pintles in the bearing bracketl'i, as will be readily understood,thus causing a corresponding rotationof the operating member 6' which isconnected to the lifter 3 of' the knuckle locking mechanism. This causesthe locking mecha- Copies of this patent may he obtained for nism toperform an unlocking operation. When the coupler 2 moves laterally, asis the case when the car passes around a curve,

the curved portion 9 of the member 6 slides through the opening 5 in thetop of the lock lifter 3; and when the coupler moves longitudinally ofthe car in draft and buffing the member 6 swings or pivots upon theupturned end 14 of the uncoupling lever and also slides through theopening in the upper end of the lifter 3 as already described.

We claim:

1. In an uncoupling mechanism for car couplers, the combination with thecoupler locking mechanism, of a rotatable uncoupling lever, a bracketsecured to the car at one side of the coupler, a member journaled onsaid bracket and a lock actuating member operatively connected to andhaving slidable engagement with said locking mechanism, said uncouplinglever constituting means for pivotally connecting said lock actuatingmember to the member journaled on said bracket.

2. In an uncoupling mechanism for car couplers, the combination withcoupler looking mechanism, of a rotatable uncoupling lever, a bracketrigidly secured to the car at one side of the coupler, a supportingmember for said uncoupling lever pivotally mounted on said bracket, anda curved meniber pivotally connected to said supporting member andoperatively connected to and having slidable engagement with saidcoupler locking mechanism.

3. In an uncoupling mechanism for car couplers, the combination withcoupler looking mechanism, of a rotatable uncoupling lever journaled onthe car and extending toward the side thereof, a bracket secured to thecar and having a plurality of bearing members, a socketed member havingpintles adapted to' be journaled in said bearing member, and a curvedmember operatively connected to and having slidable engagement with saidlocking mechanism, said.

WILLIAM MGOONWAY, JR. WILLIAM J. REGAN.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington,I). G."

